Orioles pitchers, from left, Jeremy Guthrie, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton play a game together during the team's holiday party for kids at Dave & Busters at Arundel Mall.

Orioles pitchers, from left, Jeremy Guthrie, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton play a game together during the team's holiday party for kids at Dave & Busters at Arundel Mall. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

The Orioles dealing RHP Jeremy Guthrie, the only sure thing in their starting rotation, adds more questions than answers heading into spring. The timing, which came on the day Guthrie was scheduled to go to arbitration, was telling. In return, the Orioles will get two pieces to help rebuild the pitching. RHP Jason Hammel can eat innings (He has started at least 27 games each of the past three years), but he has a 4.99 career ERA and was moved to the pen late last season. They also add 31-year-old reliever Matt Lindstrom just had his best major league season. He held hitters to a .217 batting average in the second half of last year. In an offseason of moves void of splash, the Orioles offer one that will have people talking.

Peter Schmuck, columnist

This one's a head-scratcher, unless you really believe there is strength in numbers. The Orioles got back two unheralded major league pitchers for a guy who was their No. 1 starter. I guess the possibility of having to pay Jeremy $10 million was just too much for Dan Duquette to bear -- and that's understandable -- but the O's did not get much payroll relief and their rotation is even less stable than it was before the deal.

Steve Gould, Orioles editor

Guthrie was set to become a free agent after the 2012 season, so trading him to ensure that you get something in return certainly makes sense. However, it’s surprising that the Orioles would part with a solid starting pitcher who, at 32, doesn’t fit into their future plans — and get pitchers who are 29 and nearly 32, and no prospects, in return. Bottom line: Trading Guthrie this year makes sense. What the Orioles got back for him doesn’t.

Kevin Cowherd, columnist

Good for Jeremy Guthrie. Playing for the Orioles and losing year in and year out was sapping his soul. When he lost 17 games last season -- it was the second time in three years that he led the league in losses -- the handwriting was on the wall: he needed to get out and the O's needed to let him go. In this case, a change of scenery for the right-hander is the best thing for both the player and the club.

Matt Vensel, reporter/blogger

I have always liked Jeremy Guthrie. He is smart, quirky and honest, and he fared pretty well as the leader of the Orioles staff, even though he was annually in double-digit losses. Ideally, he would have been a middle-of-the-rotation starter, but he went out there every five days and pitched his guts out. You would like to think they could have gotten more for him, but he has seemingly been on the market for years so maybe not. This trade will be hard for many O's fans to swallow, but Guthrie will be a free agent after the season and he probably would have left anyway. Here's hoping he finds success -- and maybe a winning season for once -- in Colorado.

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